All WCPSS schools closed for students on May 1

Parents,

Many of you are aware that thousands of educators from throughout North Carolina are planning to gather in Raleigh on Wednesday, May 1. They are attending a rally at the General Assembly to improve classroom opportunities for our children and to improve working conditions for teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and others who support our schools.

At this time, nearly 2,000 Wake County teachers have requested time away from the classroom to participate in this rally. More requests are expected in the coming days. The number of requests far exceeds our number of available substitute teachers, which means we cannot ensure adequate instruction and supervision that day.

As a result, all schools will be closed for normal operations on Wednesday, May 1. It will become an optional teacher workday. No make-up day for students will be required due to the number of instructional hours already accumulated this year. We’ll provide additional information shortly regarding conflicts with individual school events.

This decision is not made lightly. We know that this schedule change puts a burden on families. We also know that our teachers are not taking the day off. Instead, they are taking leave from the classroom to advocate for public education, for their students and for your children. I ask that you give them your support.

More information and updates can be found on our website: http://bit.ly/May-1-2019 Additional information will be sent to staff.

Sincerely,

Jim Martin

Chair, Wake County Board of Education

April 29, 2019 Update

This is a reminder that Wednesday, May 1, is a teacher workday. There are no classes for students.

Free school lunches will be available at four schools: Green Elementary, Hodge Road Elementary, Washington Elementary and Wildwood Elementary. Any Wake County Public School System student can receive a lunch at no cost between 11 am and 1 pm at any of those four locations on May 1.